Si tú te creías que yo no venía...

Saludos, mi gente y comencemos una semana de ¡PURO Comic Con! Este viernes estaremos de vuelta en el Centro de Convenciones para el Puerto Rico Comic Con del 7 al 9 de abril. Esta será mi séptima vez en el Comic Con mientras también celebro mi décimo aniversario como autor publicado.

 

Como saben, marzo fue un mes bien fuego a la lata con dos libros nuevos: el segundo volumen de los Daydreams on the Sherbet Shore y Penumbra, mi primera colección de cuentos oscuros en español. Estoy muy orgulloso de ambos libros y está muy curioso que publique el libro más oscuro e intenso y el libro más dulce de mi carrera a la misma vez. 

 

Las portadas, de show y estoy muy complacido con el contenido. Espero que se los disfruten. Además, tuve la Marcha de los escritores en donde desarrollé temas para hacer posteos para cada día en el mes de marzo y tengo que quitarme el sombrero a todos los amantes de las letras de PR que le metieron con todo. Se lucieron y espero que se lo hayan gozado. Aparte de eso, pues muchas más aventuras de la vida.

 

Eso dicho, me siento como todo un súper saiyajin que le dieron con TODO durante el mes de marzo. Ya que lo superamos, vamos a llegar a un súper nivel porque lo que viene este wikén es pura gozaera. Estaremos en el exhibidor 134 y abajo les comparto el mapa para que me encuentren.

 

Además, ¡LIBROS NUEVOS!

 

Penumbra Cuentos oscuros

Daydreams on the Sherbet Shore 2

Como siempre, tendré MUCHOS OTROS TÍTULOS DISPONIBLES, aunque ojo, CANTIDADES LIMITADAS así que asegúrate darte la vuelta por el exhibidor tempranito.

 

Hay muchas ganas de verlos y espero que de aquí hasta el fin de semana tengan una semana bonita para cerrarla con broche de oro.

 

Un abrazo,

 

JD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marcha de los escritores día 20: Curiosidades como escritor

El tema de hoy es para compartir detallitos curiosos de ti como escritor. 

Aquí te comparto 5 de los míos y a ver cuán diferentes me salen a los de inglés.

1. Escribo mayormente en inglés. Aunque soy puertorriqueño y mi primer idioma es el español, sólo tengo dos de mis veinte libros que son en español. Aunque finalmente me siento más cómodo escribiendo en español, por mucho tiempo he tenido complejo y no he estado seguro de mis habilidades como escritor en español fuera de lo profesional ya que MUCHO de lo que he trabajado en mi carrera profesional ha sido en español. Por suerte, ya me he soltado y con Penumbra, el mensaje es claro: prepara tu librero :)

2. Nunca he tomado un curso de escribir. Estudié psicología, publicidad y mercadeo y nunca he tomado ni un taller de escribir. Todo lo que he logrado como autor ha sido autodidacta y a pulmón. Por MUCHOS años escribí en un blog y eso me ayudó más de lo que te imaginas. El detalle es que AMO escribir. Claro que quiero fama, dinero y éxito, ahora ante todo AMO escribir y es una parte integral de quién soy.

3. Incluyo muchos personajes basados en personas de mi vida. Mrs. Fawn se basa en Mama. Captain Jane se basa en mi esposa. Fäet es mi representación literaria. Así hay un montón de personajes y siempre es divertido tener a la gente adivinando quién es de mi vida y quién es de mi imaginación.

4. El nombre Odstein es recurrente en mis obras como el apellido de Fäet. Por si no lo sabías: Fäet = Fate y Odstein = Destino ;)

5. Me encanta incluir detallitos y tributos a música y artistas. En español muchos de los capítulos y personajes de Penumbra salieron o fueron influencia directa de la música de Robi Draco Rosa.

Y ahí tienes 5 curiosidades. ¿Qué te parecen? Y ¿Cuáles son algunas de las tuyas?

Espero que te estés gozando la Marcha de los escritores. Un fuerte abrazo.

JD

A year full of promise

 

Last year I had big plans and a lot of them crashed and burned because I was not able to deliver on what I wanted to. Sure, we can have plans. Doesn’t mean they’re guaranteed to come through. That’s fine and dandy. That was also 2022...This is 2023.

I have been promising several projects for years and March has me delivering on two of those promises. Do I have to be a bit cryptic because we’re building up to these releases? Of course. But it doesn’t I have to stay mum about both.

What’s in store for March?

Two releases.

One in Spanish. One in English.

Both are short story collections.

One is light. One is dark.

They are polar opposites yet very much represent who I am as a writer.

First up is Spanish, which is getting revealed this week. I’ve been promising Spanish for years and I’m finally delivering. Now don’t expect something lighthearted or sweet. We’re going dark and broody.

6 short stories + 1 novella. All dark but in different ways. I am very happy with the end result.

Afterwards, we have English. Another short story collection I’ve been promising for years and one that means a lot to me. While the Spanish book is very me because of style and that dark aspect of my psyche, this book is very me because it is rooted deeply in kindness. 5 short stories in a world that we’ve visited before.

In terms of content and style, I’m proud that I’ve hit all I wanted to achieve with each project. I’m also super proud of the work I was able to do with two different artists. It’s been a busy year so far, though I’m happy, motivated, thankful, and healthy. Thank you to everyone who has shown me such unconditional support and thanks also to everyone who is participating in the March of the Writers. Here’s to all the good times and stay tuned, MUCH more news VERY soon.

Peace, love, and maki rolls.

JD

What’s in a number?

As humans we’re often fascinated by numbers. 

 

The weight of a boulder. The height of a mountain. The depth of an ocean. The speed of sound. The speed of light. The amount of chocolate chips in the largest chocolate chip cookie in the world. The amount of money some movie earned.

 

When you write, there are several numbers that can come to mind. 

 

How many words have you written? 

How many books have you published? 

How many awards have you won?

 

Other numbers can haunt us.

 

How many typos were in that first draft? 

How many books have I sold? 

How many books do I need to sell to break even? 

How long will it take to finish my next book? 

How long will it take to make it? 

How many reviews have your books gotten?

 

This year marks ten years since I published my first book, Only Human.

 

Ten years.

 

A decade.

 

It sounds big because it is big. It’s a significant amount of time from any angle you look at it, as long as it’s a human perspective. Ten years is nothing to the world, the solar system, the galaxy, or the universe.

 

But to a human? It’s pretty big. It’s not huge. But you can’t deny its weight and not just because it’s trendy to be able to put 10^th anniversary on anything you do. It’s not many things we willingly stick to for a decade unless we love it...which is why it still feels like I’m getting started.

 

Some people have asked me, “how does it feel to have made it?” I can’t answer that question because in my eyes, I have not made it. Not by a long shot. I have over twenty projects at different stages of development. I don't have a TED Talk. I haven't given a commencement speech.I haven’t had a movie, show, or video game adaptation to become part of the zeitgeist, which means that only do I want an adaptation, I want it to be good enough to have people know my characters by name and for the work to live with them...and for fans to still say, meh, the book’s better.

 

Last year was not a busy one on this blog. This isn’t a complaint or an apology, it’s just a statement based on fact. I had nine blog posts including one for Mom, two for Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona, two for March of the Writers, and one guest blog post. This post alone means I’m 9 blog posts away from being more active than last year.

 

Is it a resolution?

 

No.

 

Is it a promise?

 

No.

 

It’s me saying I’m in a better place now than I was a year ago and we’ll talk about that and a lot more things as we go along the year.

 

In 2022, I was able to publish a grand total of one book to continue my yearly tradition of publishing something on Mother’s Day. For this year, there will be a book published on that date...and the plan is to publish a couple more.

 

I’ve known to start a year off with a long list of resolutions or goals or things I will do in a year. I’m not in the mood for any of that. I just want to write and keep having fun. I also want to share that fun with people if only to encourage others to also have fun.

 

The first post on this blog was in May 11, 2013. That’s almost a month after I published Only Human which is as telling a sign as I think I can offer in regards to my writer journey. There’s a lot of winging, a lot of improvising, a lot of guessing, and a lot of doing something for the sake of doing it along with a lot of discovery in my writer journey of who I am as writer, a creative, and a human. My books, my blog, and what I do on social media are all reflections of who I am. Is there book promotion? Sure. But it’s not the majority, because although I love selling my books and making sure I’m not in the red, what drives me is discovery and connection with you and with myself.

 

Right now we’re connecting on some words you’re reading on your phone or computer and to some degree, we’re connecting. Last year I won my first award with my writing and it felt nice to have some sort of validation. On that note, I promise I will continue submitting my work because I know that if I write well enough, it can open doors to what matters: connecting with people. Please note I said people and not just readers.

 

Yes, I want to connect with readers.

 

Yes, I want to win awards.

 

Yes, I want sales.

 

Yes, I want to get more reviews.

 

Yes, I want writing to eventually pay the bills.

 

But it all goes back to connecting. I want the means to do more of what I love and reach more people so we can talk about books, writing, and the words that connect us.

 

Ten years.

 

It’s huge.

 

It’s a blip.

 

It’s whatever we make of it.

 

This may be the first of many blog posts for 2023 or it just may be a captured moment. Regardless, it is also a genuine Thank You for joining me on my first decade as a published author. Now let’s see if I can keep you guessing and keep you reading.

 

Peace, love, and maki rolls

 

 

The Tradition Continues

The Tradition Continues

There are many things and many people to celebrate on Mother’s Day. Each person has their own way of doing it, and for me, it’s always and shall always be important to publish something on Mother’s Day. No matter what life throws my way, no matter the challenges, it’s something that’s important to me…and when something’s important, there is no try. Today I’m happy to report that even with a last-minute push, I was able to deliver on one of several projects I’ve been promising for a while: the all-English version of my bilingual collection, Twenty Veinte.

Beyond just translating the Spanish part, there are some pieces here that have been tweaked or shall we say overhauled. It’s been 6 years since I published Twenty Veinte and in that time, I’ve grown as a person and as a writer so I did allow myself some adjustments on the existing English pieces taking into account what we’ve experienced collectively the past couple of years, even though I didn’t include anything pandemic-specific, because I didn’t feel the need or desire to do so.

Now the Spanish part was interesting to work on…because the pieces in the original bilingual version of the book were FAR from Traditional Spanish and often use very Puerto Rican language. “How Puerto Rican?” you may ask. Well to the point that a text translator was useless as a tool to accelerate or facilitate the process. Then beyond language, there’s context and that’s where it got really tricky with several essays and one particular short story.
 

In plain English, if you’re not from Puerto Rico, you wouldn’t get several references, jokes, and be a bit lost. That’s where the term transcreation came into play and quite heavily.

Transcreation refers to when you go BEYOND language and take into consideration socio-cultural and historic details and add context to make the communication relevant to the intended audience. So imagine going from writing something mainly for Spanish speaking Puerto Ricans and making it relatable and understandable to a global English speaking audience. If it sounds complicated, it’s because it is.

This required me to do several rewrites and do deep dives to overhaul what I’d written originally. It also showed me how I’ve grown as a writer with more recent pieces and how I once upon a time struck gold, and that certain pieces have aged pretty gracefully I might add.

Translating the essays brought the challenge of making everything understandable. That means that for a piece like Puerto Rico Salsa, Puerto Rico Reggaetón I had to explain a bit more of what the title refers to and explain a bit more of where I was coming from in regards to the opinion within that piece. For Lane Change (Cambio de Carril) I had to absolutely re-think a LOT of what is in that story, since it takes place within a car stuck in a traffic jam in Puerto Rico. By re-think, please understand scrapping about 15-20% of the story and rewriting it thinking of the intended audience.

Then came the poetry.

Translating my poetry was very tricky because I love plays on words and doing stuff that honestly only works or works best in the original language it was written. Transcreating 10 poems of varying structure, style, intent, and rhyme structure might not seem like a lot, but it was. It also sparked some ideas for future projects where I explore the concept of living a bilingual life further, except I’ll concentrate on one form rather than re-diving into stories, poetry, and essays in one go.

The Spanish version of the collection has also brought plenty of challenges, though I’m chipping away at it because, again, it’s important to me. As is Mother’s Day.

I am well aware that if I don’t publish anything on Mother’s Day, nothing will happen in the grand scheme of things. I also know that the date continues to be extremely important to me, because of what it means and who I pay tribute to. I am well aware Mom would ask me when I’d get done with the Spanish projects I’ve had lingering for so long…though I’m also sure she’d be happy and proud that I continue to keep the tradition going and all the other things I've done this year.

I continue to receive messages asking how she’s doing, since I often post #CheersMamaEstrada pictures, videos, and pieces and I only regret having to let people know that she’s passed away and that it’s been some time. The regret is because I feel bad knowing people will feel bad they brought it up. I miss her every day though every time I get asked how she’s doing, part of me does smile, because it means I keep her memory quite alive.

Whether it’s a poem, a song, an essay, a book, a character based on Mama, or this tradition, it’s easy to always keep her with me. I know several wonderful people who have lost their moms or other loved ones in recent weeks and months and it hurts to see good people go through something so tough. Still, it’s a part of life and I always do my best to drop a line and invite them to feel whatever they have to feel, to embrace it, and pay forward all the love they received in life. I also invite them to talk to or write to their loved ones and to do it in the present tense. Write a letter as if you’re catching them up with everything that’s happened. Have a hard question to ask or something you need to get off your chest, write it out or tell them. It’s something I do often and it helps me more than you can imagine…as it does to publish something on Mother’s Day.

So here’s to tradition, to goals, to getting things done even when there are challenges in the way, and to doing the things that are important to us. This makes it Book #19…though it only serves to fuel the fire to get to my next projects, so as I’ve mentioned before. When it comes to my books, best not blink.

My best to you and all the mothers who have made and continue to make life better.

Peace, love, and Happy Mother's Day

March of the Writers 2022 – Return of MOTW

It’s amazing how time flies and suddenly March is upon you once again. So in typical moi fashion, here I am announcing the prompts for this year’s March of the Writers! I’ll offer a brief explanation of each prompt though by all means, the main thing about this month-long shindig is to have fun and do these prompts on YOUR terms. This is all about connecting with new readers and fellow authors and creatives alike. You can be as brief or as extensive as you want. Are you in the mood to do blog posts, tweets, or BookTube/AuthorTube videos? Have at it. Want to do this on TikTok? Why not? Again, these are just ideas to connect to people and hopefully help you connect with people including yours truly. 

 

 So without further ado, here are the prompts!

 

 

1.     New month, who dis?

 

It’s the start of #MOTW, tell us who you are. After all what better way to start anything than introducing yourself?

 

2.     Show & Tell (Your Books)

 

I’ve changed the order of certain things to make sure we hit on some key things, like what you’ve written for instance! Have a book or twenty? Show em off, baby!

 

3.     Writing Muzak

 

Something I’m very proud of in regards to #MarchOfTheWriters is the writing playlist I’ve compiled. If you have tunes to share, by all means, suggest so we can keep feeding this list. Well over 1,000 tracks on both Tidal and Spotify so let’s share the wealth!

 

4.     For those about to WIP

 

Are you about to start a new project? Are you in the middle of a WIP? Tell us tell us what you’re working on. Genre, topic, character names, and if you’re particularly brave, title.

 

5.     Sweet spot: writing session length

 

The more writers you meet, the more you’ll realize how varied we are. Some people love long writing sessions. Some like several short sprints. What’s your ticket to wordcount glory?

 

6.     2022 goals

 

Regardless of the state of the world, which is pretty chaotic, we should all have dreams and things we strive for. Although two months have come and gone, tell us what some of your goals are for the rest of the year.

 

7.     Author Tribe

 

Another prompt I’m bumping up in the priority list is to share something about your writer tribe. Want to share a BookTube channel, podcasts, blog, or website we should check out? Go for it. Want to do a collage with your favorite people? Knock yourself out. Want to craft a message saying thank you to the people who are in your corner? No worries, these aren’t the Academy Awards and you can go as LONG as you want with no music to interrupt.

 

8.     Writer DNA

 

As writers, there are certain things that make their way into our projects. What are some of the core message, themes, and topics that make it into your work?

 

9.     Show off your TBR

 

Writers better read, so tell us what is in your reading queue or what you’re currently digging into!

 

10.  What’s on your calendar?

 

We all know the importance of pivoting, but we also plan and hope we can keep those plans! What are some things you’re looking forward to in the coming months?

 

11.  Writer Wisdom

 

We all live and we all learn, so why not share a lesson or three that could help a fellow writer?

 

 

12.  Filmspiration

 

I’m not one of those writers and book lovers who turn my nose up to TV and movies. Nope. I love me some boobtube goodness, so what movies have left a mark on you?

 

13.  Treat-yo-self

 

All work and no play makes anyone dull as dishwater! We NEED to learn to reward ourselves more often, but careful, I do know some people who always seem to find a way to reward themselves. That aside, when you achieve a milestone, how do you say thank you and congratulations to you?

 

14.  Return of the pitch

 

You got a working script? Share with us that pitch and let’s try and be constructive with feedback to help each other get the best spiel possible to convince people to not only be interested in our books, but pre-order the damn thing!

 

15.  How do you social?

 

There are plenty of ways we connect with readers and writers on the interwebs. What are some of yours or what tips would you offer a fellow creative in regards to connecting?

 

16.  Fanfare (reviews)

 

Getting a review is not only nice, but makes the world of difference. As a salute to those kind souls who put words to a review in support of us, share a review that touched you or taught you something important.

 

17.  Fav classics

 

People are ALWAYS raving about the next great new book, but what are some deep dive classics that shall always have a place on your bookshelf and why?

 

18.  Digital or Analog

 

The smell of a book or the convenience of carrying a library’s worth of books in a device. This topic shall never go away because we all have our preferences. So tell us, what’s your choice and why?

 

19.  Method to your madness

 

What’s a writing habit you learned that was instrumental in your writer journey?

 

20.  Block Breakers

 

You could have a proper block or just be exhausted, but blocks can and do happen. What’s something that definitely helps you to maneuver around writer’s block?

 

21.  Bookmark Brag

 

Beyond all the books we have, many of us have plenty of pretty bookmarks. This is not a time to be shy so SHOW EM OFF!

 

22.  Tools of the trade

 

Pen? Pencil? Laptop? Typewriter? Scrivener? Word? Speech to Text? What tools make your writing flow?

 

23.  Fav place to read

 

As creatures of comfort, we also have our favorite places to indulge in what we love. What’s your choice when it comes to getting snuggly with a book?

 

24.  Why do you write?

 

The writer equivalent of “Why are we here?” What is at the top of your Writer Maslow Pyramid in terms of needs when you write?

 

25.  What’s your brand?

 

Some people have done the writing thing for years. Others are starting out. What is consistent is that beyond the books we write, we are a brand. So you, yes you, what is your brand and why should people care about your work?

 

26.  Plot or Pants

 

Oh I do enjoy the passion in which pantsers defend their right to pants as much as I enjoy the methodical and logical approach of planners. So tell us, plot or pants, which will it be?

 

27.  Writer habitat

 

Also known as your writing desk or work area. Show it off!

 

28.  Book you’ve read the most

 

There are some books that are almost a tradition. What’s a book you’ll be rereading until you pass the page of this life?

 

29.  Unpopular Opinions

 

What’s a movie, book, food, band, artist, location, vacation destination, or author everyone loves that you can’t hhhhhhhelp but hhhhhhate.

 

30.  People to follow

 

We mentioned our author tribe before already, so what gives? It’s pretty simple…you’ll probably meet some new people in these weeks. So who has caught your attention and when are we doing a writer sprint?

 

31.  Keep in touch

 

The usual post where we share everywhere people can find us AND our books. Till next we march.

 

Peace, love, and maki rolls

The Ongoing Wave of American Racial Violence

Every so often, I find myself calling up friends to see if they’re OK. Sometimes it’s because of a winter storm, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, or floods. Sometimes it’s because I see a spike in COVID cases in a general area. And unfortunately, sometimes it’s because they’re either Black, Latino, Middle-Eastern, or Asian. 

During the previous post, I spoke about the latest mass shootings in Boulder and Atlanta, and for good reason. One of the cases is still potentially a hate crime and still under investigation. Reading a bit about the guy’s history, I see enough things to at least not think it’s a repeat of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. In that case, two individuals targeted Arbery, pursued him, confronted him while armed, and eventually shot him. In last week’s case, if you read the headline, it seems extremely plausible that it was a targeted crime, but there’s a chance that it wasn’t focused on race, even though statistically speaking, it is very possible. 

 

All of this is very different to the countless other cases of violence against Asians and Asian Americans and the surge in incidents since the pandemic begun. Terms like Kung-Flu and China virus are benign to a certain type of person that fails to see the danger and damage done with these and many other terms. Some people have even said things on the lines of celebrating Kung-Flu because it’s hilarious. I’m not saying that I don’t see the humor, I’m saying that using that term in every day vernacular is asking to target people of Asian descent and I really don’t think that’s a stretch with what people capture on film. 

 

The U.S. has a storied history of violence and within its abundance of abuse, there’s a wealth of racial violence and racial tension. The first problem with that statement is the flat out refusal of the problem and saying that things are blown out of proportion. Yet statistics say otherwise, as does behavior, as do headlines, as do people complaining that their free speech is being infringed upon, even if it is hate speech. People would have you believe that white settlers came and conquered peacefully when the reality is that Native Americans across North, Central, and South America were basically exterminated numbering in the millions by the English and Spanish settlers, representing the single largest genocide in recorded history.

 

Slavery is also well documented and to see recently that some people think it’s a shame it was abolished, as well as lamenting women’s ability to vote shows that there is definitely a dangerous thought tendency in recent times. It's not the norm, it's not the majority, but it is there, and denying it is as dangerous as encouraging it. Maybe this has always been a sentiment, but for people to outwardly and comfortably make an argument against voting rights for women and minorities in the 21^st century shows why there has been a rise in violence against Asian people, not to mention other minorities. 

 

Has there been a rise in violence towards Latinos and Black people as well? Of course. Middle Eastern people and people who are Jewish and Muslim? Them too. The phrase, “Go back to where you came from” is unfortunately very common and has always been very common in this country. What’s saddest is when a white person tells this to a Native American, and do so un-ironically. The problem is when you have people playing both sides of the narrative at different times to cater to what serves their interests best, depending on what they want to project or achieve. Case in point, people calling for an end of violence against Asians, while also having quotes that could be tied to anti-Asian sentiments because it caters to their base, i.e. referring to COVID-19 as the Asian virus to offer a common and easily verifiable example.

 

Unfortunately, if anti-Asian sentiments cater to any sort of audience, then logic dictates that certain parts of the population are anti-Asian. In fact, if you look at most minorities, there are countless events documenting discrimination towards people of other races, religions, gender, and color. Black people face a lot of this and one of the favorite counter points from certain sectors is to talk about Black-on-Black crime to sway the conversation elsewhere, preferably far away from the point. This can be argued for or against depending what sources you wish to quote. But that’s another topic and I only bring it up for one reason, no one ever talks about Asian-on-Asian crime and my experience with Asian communities is of a lot of solidarity. Do all Asian countries get along? Not really, but this is a complicated concept in and of itself. 

 

Let me explain from my perspective. As a Latino, I can understand some of what Asians might experience, specifically the blurred lines of countries of precedence. Thanks to Bad Bunny, J-Lo, Benicio del Toro, Ricky Martin, and Hurricane María, people are more aware of where Puerto Rico is located. For reference, it is the smallest of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean. The official languages of Puerto Rico are English and Spanish and politically speaking, it is a confusing mess that most people don’t understand, but that’s beside the point. What is the point is that it is an Island in the Caribbean and people who come from Puerto Rico identify as either Hispanic or Latino. Before these high profile people and events, when I would say I was from Puerto Rico, I would often get questions like: how long does it take to drive from Puerto Rico here, where in Mexico is that, where in Central America is that, or where in South America is that? Fortunately, people knew that by being Puerto Rican I was Latino, but beyond that, there wasn’t a lot of knowledge regarding where Puerto Rico was, not to mention what it was. 

 

When you’re Asian and you say you’re from Laos, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, and other countries, you might get asked where in China that is. If you say you’re from Cambodia, some people might think you’re from an African country, even if it's nowhere near the African Continent. The only distinction that I think is common is that for the most part, people at least know Japan and China are different countries located in different places. This could be in part due to World War 2 or maybe the prevalence of cuisines, where Chinese cuisine is very different from sushi. This means that like Latinos, Asians are lumped into the same demographic and aren’t differentiated, even if culture, customs, cuisine, religions, and history show drastic disparities. What I mean by this is that using terms like China virus and kung-flu are an attack on all Asian people. 

 

In recent months and particularly weeks there has been a rise in attacks against Asian people. I’d like to say it culminated with last week’s murder spree, but that would mean that it would be a peak, and that the end was in fact near. Unfortunately, I don’t see this stopping, because although we are not seeing cases of police brutality against Asians, we are seeing attacks on them. Also, just because we don’t hear about police brutality against Asians doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Abuse against this demographic has long been overlooked and swept under the rug and it wasn’t until George Takei’s Broadway show Allegiance, that many people (myself included) were made aware of Japanese internment camps and how prevalent anti-Japanese and in general anti-Asian sentiments were and continue to be. Which begs the question, why isn’t this more top of mind? This can be due to representation (or lack thereof) and the fact that it doesn’t get the ratings other headlines get. That doesn’t change that it is a reality people are facing.

 

Last week, a young man went on a killing spree. There is a possibility that it was a hate crime. This is still under investigation.

However, beyond that case, there are several other instances where Asian people have been targeted and attacked. This is not speculation. This is fact. Cases where there is no gray area and it was a blatant aggression against a person of Asian descent for being of Asian descent, and unfortunately on more than one occasion against elderly people. These were not accidents and they sure as hell are not isolated cases. What we do to recognize there is a problem and that it’s our duty to protect our fellow human will determine how we respond to yet another crisis. But for that, we need to recognize that there is a problem…and there lies our first obstacle, because few deterrents are more effective than denial.